Pt. 2 Dan Aykroyd Talks Vodka with Total Wine & More

Dan Aykroyd has worn many hats during his long and successful career – he’s an Oscar-nominated and Emmy award-winning actor, a writer, director, philanthropist, enthusiast of the supernatural, winery owner, tequila importer and now, vodka maven.

Dan’s partner and veteran fine artist John Alexander has exhibited extensively in the United States and around the world. Together, they were avid researchers of the legend of the 13 crystal heads. And from this inspiration, an idea was born – Crystal Head vodka.

We interviewed Dan Aykroyd about the founding of Crystal Head, details behind its production and his interests in “spirits” beyond vodka.

We have definitely thought about it. But there are so many things we still need to accomplish with Crystal Head that we really don’t want to lose our focus on another product when Crystal Head still has so much potential left it in.

I am a simple guy when I comes to cocktails. Because Crystal Head is so outstanding, I enjoy it on the rocks with a squeeze of lime. I also really enjoy Crystal Head with fresh squeezed tangerine juice. That is really refreshing. I like keeping my ingredients pure, like the vodka.

For years, the best post-consumption keepsake out there was the Crown Royal cloth bag. A cool crystal skull certainly beats that. What’s the most interesting use of an empty Crystal Head bottle you’ve encountered?

Wow. That is a tough question because I think we have seen about a 1000 different uses for the bottle. Some disturbing and some very creative. I would say a fish bowl. I have seen a couple of fish bowls with our 1.75L Crystal Head.

What about your previous experience/career as an actor and writer has helped you in your current venture into the wine and spirits industries?

Certainly everything the feature film industry has taught me as a writer has helped. The original web introduction of Crystal Head was an example of concise and effective copy. At 2 million bottles sold people have connected both to the legend and to our double gold award winning fluid.

A number of your movies have become classics and still have a devoted fan base, even among younger generations. How do you see your wine and vodka products being perceived in the future?

To me it is about quality. I think trends come and go but if you make a truly great quality product it will stay around. Whether it is entertainment or consumable products if you don’t start and finish with quality you will never have anything that lasts.